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Mr. Peter Van den Bossche (European Communities) was sworn in as the newest member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body today. He takes the place of Mr. Sacerdoti who is stepping down after eight years of service to the WTO. Mr. Van den Bossche is a Professor of International Trade at the University of Maastricht, Amsterdam. From 1997 to 2001, he was Counsellor to the Appellate Body of the WTO and in 2001, he served as Acting Director of the Appellate Body Secretariat.

The WTO Appellate Body is responsible for hearing appeals from WTO dispute settlement panels. The Appellate Body has seven members who are appointed by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body for four-year terms. The members must be persons of recognized authority with demonstrated expertise in law and international trade. They also must not be affiliated with any government and must broadly represent the membership of the WTO.